Krauthausen, who is affected by the bone condition Lobstein syndrome, is
just one of the 1.6 million people in Germany who use a wheelchair. And
he, like countless others, was fed-up of the lack of choice he faced
day in, day out - despite the German constitution stating that â€śno
person is to be discriminated or disadvantaged on grounds of
disability.â€ť He also realised that for many people who rely on a wheelchair, going
somewhere new can suddenly become more stressful than exciting if, upon
arrival, there turns out to little to no wheelchair access, or that
there are no accessible toilets. Almost every establishment has a website with the opening times, prices
and services on it. What is lacking, however, is information about how
accessible it is.â€ť Krauthausen explained in an interview on the website.
â€śIt was yet another example of how physical barriers can shrink a
personâ€™s world. It was at this point I realised that a map with
wheelchair-friendly places marked on it would be really useful.â€ť So the wheels were put in motion, and the website went live last year under the direction of Sozialhelden, a foundation which campaigns for social inclusion.
Currently, Wheelmap boasts its own free App for Smartphones in an
impressive 12 languages, including English, Turkish, French, and
Japanese. The majority of ranked locations are still in Germany, but an
increasing number are popping up overseas and plans are in the pipeline
to develop locations across Britain in time for the 2012 Paralympics.

The siteâ€™s recent boom in success is partially thanks to a recent Google
ad for its Chrome web browser. So far, the advert has accumulated over
one million hits on YouTube and is being aired on TV across Germany. â€śThe Wheelmap project is a prime example of the fact that the internet
enables people to do things that wouldnâ€™t have even been thought
possible several years ago. "These kinds of developments are the very reason we founded Chrome,â€ť
Google spokesman Stefan Keuchel said in a statement on the site.

â€śRaul embodies our ethos that the internet is what you make of it.â€ť It's not, however, only wheelchair users who can benefit from the site -
it is also relevant for the 8.5 million people in Germany who use some
sort of mobility aid with wheels - whether parents with a pram, or an
elderly person with a walker.
Krauthausen hopes that as the site gains publicity, increasing numbers
of people can benefit from the chance to â€śdiscover new places with ease,
and meet new people, disabled or not." "That is what Wheelmap is all about; inclusion and contributing towards a barrier-free society,â€ť he said.